Tame Your Inbox & Reduce Email Clutter!

If you've read any of my previous posts, it's obvious my passion lies in organizing and streamlining pretty much everything to make life more manageable.  One thing I see again and again is an overflowing inbox.  It's fairly simple to devise a process for taming your inbox. Here are some suggestions: 

One word: Unsubscribe.  Today I dove in and unsubscribed to every unsolicited email that hit my inbox. I have the feeling that within the next few weeks, I'll have a lot fewer emails to wade through. 

For all other emails I use folders to categorize them. Since I work in mortgages, when I have a file I'm working on I will devise a folder (in Outlook) that has "@SmithLoan" as its title. The reason I use the "@" sign is because it moves the folder up to the very top of my folder list.  Any email that comes across pertaining to the Smith loan goes in it. When the loan closes I archive the folder just in case I ever need it again. 

I also have folders labeled "@Action" and "@WaitingFor." If you've ever read the book Getting Things Done by David Allen you'll recognize these categories. The "Action" folder contains anything I need to do such as sign up for a webinar or respond to someone's question. The "Waiting For" folder holds any email messages that pertain to a situation where another's response or action is required to move forward. For me this folder often holds responses I'm waiting for from a Realtor or escrow officer. I review these folders at the beginning and the end of every day. 

Finally, I have my reference folders. I get NUMEROUS emails every day from our investors with guideline updates and also tips from my colleagues about certain programs and investors. I have a folder for each of these investors. I also have a marketing folder and a folder for the title/escrow company I use. 

When an email comes in I can usually file it in any one of these folders. Try these tips and you'll find your inbox lighter in no time. ~ Cari